Loop pile carpet cutter



Dec. l, 1970 w. F. sco-n ETAL,

LOOP PILE CARPET CUTTER Filed oct. 17, 196s United States APatent O 3,543,400 LOOP PILE CARPET CUTTER Warren Farrar Scott, West Covina, and William W.

McPherson, North Hollywood, Calif., assignors to Roberts Consolidated Industries, Inc., City of Industry,

Calif., a corporation of California Filed Oct. 17, 1968, Ser. No. 768,477 Int. Cl. B26b `?/08 U.S. Cl. 30-280 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cutter especially for loop pile carpet, including a supporting plate structure provided with a floor engaging base and having therein above the base a forwardly-facing carpet receiving slot the rear end of which is spanned by either a left-hand or a right-hand blade for cutting close to the carpet pile on the left side or the right side, respectively. Forwardly of the blades is a reduced-thickness guide plate having a carpet engaging lower edge forming the upper edge of the carpet receiving slot. The plate structure comprises a movable portion which includes the guide plate, the movable portion being mounted for movement along an inclined path paralleling the blades so as to raise and lower the guide plate and thus vary the width of the carpet receiving slot.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION The present invention relates in general to cutters especially intended for l.face cutting loop pile carpet, although they may in some instances be used for other purposes. A cutter of this type conventionally includes a supporting plate structure provided with a floor engaging base and having a forwardly-facing carpet receiving slot therein above and paralleling the base. A downwardly and rearwardly inclined blade is carried by the plate structure and spans the rear end of the carpet receiving slot. In use, a forwardly projecting portion of the floor engaging base below the carpet receiving slot is inserted under the carpet to insert an edge of the carpet into the carpet receiving slot for cutting engagement by the blade. The device is then displaced along the carpet to cut same, a carpet engaging edge of a guide plate defining the upper edge of the carpet receiving slot serving to guide the device between adjacent rows of pile loops.

Prior devices of the foregoing type generally have their blades positioned centrally of the guide plates in the lateral direction, which results in cuts down the centers of the spaces between adjacent rows of pile loops. When two carpet edges cut in this fashtion are brought into abutting relation and seamed together, there is frequently a gap between the piles of the two carpets which indicates the presence of a seam, an undesirable effect.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF INVENTION In the light of the preceding background, a primary object of the invention is to provide a carpet cutter of the foregoing conventional type having side-by-side left-hand and right-hand blades selectively capable of cutting close to pile loops on the left and right sides of a space between adjacent rows. Consequently, when the two cut edges are brought into abutting relation and seamed together in any desired manner, the piles on the two edges are brought into close proximity to produce an invisible seam, which is an important feature of the invention.

Another object is to provide a cutter having a supporting plate structure with side-by-side blade recesses in which the respective blades are slidable along downwardly and rearwardly inclined paths from retracted positions into extended positions spanning the rear end of the carpet 3,543,400 Patented Dec. 1, 1970 receiving slot, together with means for securing either the yleft-hand or the right-hand blade in its extended position in its recess, or for securing both blades in their retracted positions. A related object is to provide a construction wherein the blade recesses extend upwardly and forwardly to an exposed upper edge of the supporting plate structure to provide for upward and forward removal of the blades from the blade recesses and downward and rearward insertion of fresh blades into the blade recesses,

Still another object is to provide a construction wherein the guide plate is thinner than the portion of the supporting plate structure located rearwardly of the blades, and wherein the sum of the thicknesses of the `guide plate and the blades is substantially equal to the thickness of the supporting plate structure rearwardly of the blades.

An important object of the invention is to provide the supporting plate structure with forwardly convergent bevels against which the rearward ends of the blades rest when in their extended, operative positions, and which position the outer surfaces of the blades flush with the respective outer surfaces of the supporting plate structure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a supporting plate structure comprising a movable portion which includes the upper edge of the carpet receiving slot, and to provide means mounting the movable portion of the plate structure on the remainder of the plate structure for movement along an inclined path paralleling the blade recesses to vary the width of the carpet receiving slot to accommodate carpets of different thicknesses.

The foregoing objects, advantages, features and results of the present invention, together with various other objects, advantages, features and results thereof which Will be evident to those skilled in the carpet cutting and seaming art in the light of this disclosure, may be achieved with the exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing and described in detail hereinafter.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational View of a carpet cutter which embodies the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary plan view taken as indicated by the arrowed line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 3a are fragmentary sectional views, on enlarged scales, respectively taken as indicated by the arrowed lines 3 3 and .3a-3a of FIG. l;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are semidiagrammatc, fragmentary sectional views respectively illustrating the operation of the invention in cutting close to the piles on the lefthand and right-hand sides, these figures being taken approximately as indicated by the arrowed line 4 4 of FI-G. 1;

FIG. 6 is a semidiagrammatic, fragmentary sectional View illustrating a seam between carpets cut or trimmed with the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6i, but showing the gap which can result above a seam between carpets trimmed with prior cutters of the type to which the invention relates.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT 'OF INVENTION In the drawing, the cutter of the invention is designated generally by the numeral 10` and includes a central supporting plate 12 provided along its lower edge with a oor engaging base 14 having a forwardly project-- The supporting plate 12 includes a generally rectangular arm portion 18 which projects upwardly and for- Wardly from the rearward portion of the supporting plate, the arm portion 18 making an acute angle, e.g., about 30, with the base 14 of the supporting plate 12. The upwardly and forwardly projecting arm portion 18 of the supporting plate 12 is provided with correspondingly inclined, parallel, upper and lower edges 20 and 22.

Two retaining plates 24 are disposed on opposite sides of the arm portion 18 of the supporting plate 12 and, as best shown in FIG. 3, are provided with shoulders 25 resting on and slidable along the inclined upper edge 20 of the arm portion 18. A suitable handle 26 for the cutter is secured to the upper edges of the retaining plates 24 above the shoulders 25. A reduced-thickness guide plate 28 is disposed between and welded, or other- Wise secured, to forward portions of the retaining plates 24 and is provided with an inclined upper edge 30, FIG. 3, slidably engaging the inclined lower edge 22 of the arm portion 18 of the supporting plate 12. The guide plate 28 is provided with a lower, carpet engaging edge 32 above and paralleling the forwardly projecting portion 16 of the oor engaging base 14 to provide therebetween a carpet receiving slot 34.

With the foregoing construction, the assembly comprising the retaining plates 24, the handle 26 and the guide plate 28 may slide upwardly and downwardly along the upwardly and forwardly projecting arm portion 18 of the supporting plate 12 to vary the spacing between the carpet engaging edge 32 of the guide plate 28 and the forwardly projecting portion 16 of the floor engaging base 14, thereby varying the width of the carpet receiving slot 34 to accommodate carpets of different thicknesses. The movable assembly mentioned can be locked in any desired position to maintain a selected width for the carpet receiving slot 34 by means of a thumb screw 36 extending through holes in the retaining plates 24 and an elongated slot 38 in and parallel to the arm portion 118, the thumb screw 36 having a knurled head 40 engaging one of the retaining plates 24 and being threaded into a nut 42 suitably secured to the other retaining plate, as by welding.

It will be apparent that, by loosening the thumb screw 36 (and a thumb screw 64 to be described hereinafter), the retaining plate, handle and guide plate assembly may be slid upwardly or downwardly along thearm portion 18 of the supporting plate 12 to increase' or decrease the width of the carpet receiving slot 34 as required. The thumb screws may then be tightened to lock this movable assembly in the desired position. Preferably, one of the retaining plates 24 is provided thereon with an indicium 44 cooperating with indicia 46 on the arm portion 18 to indicate directly the width to which the carpet receiving slot 34 has been adjusted.

The supporting plate 12, the retaining plates 24 and the guide plate 28 cooperate to provide on opposite sides of the guide plate, and between the guide plate and the respective retaining plates, left-hand and right-hand, downwardly and rearwardly inclined, elongated blade recesses 48 and 50 intersecting the carpet receiving slot 34 adjacent the rear end thereof. More particularly, the blade recesses 48 and 50 are disposed in side-by-side relation and are separated by the guide plate 28, the latter defining the inner sides thereof. The outer sides of the blade recesses 48 and 50l are defined by the respective retaining plates 24. The lower edge 22 of the arm portion 18 of the supporting plate 12 defines the upper edges of the blade recesses 48 and 50, while shoulders 52, FIG. 2, define the lower edges of the blade recesses. It will be noted that the blade recesses 48 and 50 are inclined at the same angle as the angle of movement of the mavoble assembly composed of the retaining plates 24, the guide plate 28 and the handle 26.

The blade recesses 48 and 50 respectively contain generally rectangular left-hand and right-hand doubleedged carpet-cutting blades 54 and 56 which are selectively movable longitudinally of their respective recesses 48 and 50 between upper, retracted positions and lower, extended positions. In FIG. 1 of the drawing, the lefthand blade 54 is shown in its retracted position, while the right-hand blade 56 is shown in its extended position. When either blade is extended, it spans the rear end of the carpet receiving slot 34 so as to cut a carpet inserted into such slot.

The respective blades 54 and 56 are provided therein with longitudinally extending slots `60Y and 62 for a thumb screw 64 which also extends through holes in the retaining plates 24 and the guide plate 28. The thumb screw 64 is provided with a head 66 engageable with one of the retaining plates 24 and is threaded into a nut 618 Welded, or otherwise secured, to the opposite retaining plate 24. With this construction, the thumb screw 64 may be tightened with one of the blades 54 and 56 in its extended position and with the other in its retracted position, thereby securing the blades in such selected positions. Also, if desired, both blades 54 and 56 may be secured in their retracted positions when the cutter 10 is not in use.

The guide plate 28 is thinner than the supporting plate 12, and the sum of the thicknesses of the guide plate 28 and the blades 54 and 56 is substantially equal to the thickness of the supporting plate 12. Consequently, as the cutter 10 is moved along a carpet being cut, the cut edges encounter no obstructions in response to relative rearward movement of the cut edges from the area of the blades 54 and 56 to the area of the supporting plate 12 rearwardly of the blade area.

With further regard to the foregoing, the lowermost corner of the particular blade 54 or 56 in use fits into a corresponding notch or recess 58 in the oor engaging base 14 adjacent the corresponding angle member 69 of the base, and the rearward end of such blade lies fiat against a corresponding one of a pair of forwardly convergent bevels on the supporting plate 12 at the rearward end of the carpet receiving slot 34, being held flat against such bevel by the corresponding angle member 69, as best shown in FIG. 3a. With this construction, the bevel 70 corresponding to the particular blade 54 or 56 in use maintains the outer surface of such blade flush with the corresponding side of the supporting plate 12. Consequently, the device 10 moves freely and smoothly through a carpet being cut, and there is no possibility of accumulating lint in obstructing quantities on the leading edge of the supporting plate 12 at the rearward end of the slot 34, which are important features.

It will be noted that the blade recesses 48 and 50 extend upwardly and forwardly to the upper, forward edges of the retaining plates 24 and the guide plate 28. Consequently, upon removal of the thumb screw 64, the blades 54 and 56 may be removed from the recesses 48 and 50, respectively, in the upward and forward direction, i.e., from the upper and forward ends of the blade recesses. Fresh blades may be inserted into the blade recesses 48 and 50 in the opposite direction, i.e., in the downward and rearv vard direction.

The retaining plates 24 are provided with elongated apertures or windows therein near the upper ends of and extending longitudinally of the respective blade recesses 48 and 50, one such window being visible in FIG. 1 and being designated by the reference numeral 72. These windows provide access to the upper ends of the blades 54 and 56 to facilitate adjusting the positions thereof between their respective retracted and extended positions.

Turning now to a consideration of the selective use of the blades 54 and 56, FIG. 4 of the drawing shows the left blade 54 extended to trim excess 74 from a carpet 76. It will be noted that the cut 78 made by the blade 54 is close to the pile on the left side. Similarly, FIG. 5 shows the right blade 56 extended to make a cut 80 close to the pile on the right side in trimming excess 82 from a carpet 84.

With the foregoing procedure, when the cut edges of the carpets 76 and 84 are subsequently brought into abutting relation and seamed in any suitable manner, as shown at 86 in FIG. 6, the piles are also brought into abutting relaiton to completely conceal the seam. FIG. 7 shows the type of exposed seam 88 between carpets 90 and 92 which results from the use of a single blade incapable of cutting suiciently close to the pile. In this case a space 94 between the adjacent piles remains and reveals the existence of the seam 88. Such a gap cannot occur when seaming carpets trimmed by the cutter 10 of the present invention.

Although an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that various minor changes, modications and substitutions may be incorporated in such embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a cutter for loop pile carpet, the combination of:

(a) a supporting plate provided with a floor engaging base having a forwardly projecting portion;

(b) two retaining plates carried by said supporting plate on opposite sides thereof and above said iioor engaging base;

(c) a guide plate between and connected to and depending below said retaining plates, and spaced upwardly from said forwardly projecting portion of said oor engaging base to provide therebetween a carpet receiving slot;

(d) said supporting plate, said retaining plates and said guide plate cooperating to provide on opposite sides of said guide plate, and between said guide plate and said retaining plates, respectively, two downwardly and rearwardly inclined blade recesses intersecting said carpet receiving slot adjacent the rear end thereof;

(e) two blades respectively disposed in said blade receiving recesses and selectively slidable longitudinally of said blade recesses into extended positions spanning the rear end of said carpet receiving slot; and

(f) means for securing said blades in selected positions in said blade recesses.

2. A cutter as defined in claim 1 including:

(a) means connecting said retaining plates to said supporting plate for movement of said retaining plates and said guide plate relative to said supporting plate back and forth along a downwardly and rearwardly inclined path paralleling said blade recesses, wherebydto vary the width of said carpet receiving slot; an

(b) means for securing said retaining plates in selected positions relative to said supporting plate.

3. A cutter according to claim 1 wherein said blade recesses extend upwardly and forwardly to upper edges of said retaining and guide plates to provide for upward and forward removal of said blades from said blade recesses and downward and rearward insertion of fresh blades into said blade recesses.

4. A cutter as set forth in claim 1 wherein said guide plate is thinner than said supporting plate, and wherein the sum of the thickness of said guide plate and said blades is substantially equal to the thickness of said supporting plate.

5. A cutter as defined in claim 1 including notch means in said floor engaging base for receiving lower corners of said blades when in their extended positions to stabilize the lower ends of said blades.

6. In a cutter for loop pile carpet, the combination of:

(a) a supporting plate structure provided with a floor engaging base and having therein a forwardly-facing carpet receiving slot above and paralleling said oor engaging base;

(b) at least one downwardly and rearwardly inclined blade carried by said plate structure and spanning the rear end of said carpet receiving slot;

(c) said plate structure comprising a movable portion which includes the upper edge of said carpet receiving slot;

(d) means mounting said mova'ble portion of said plate structure on the remainder of said plate structure for movement along an inclined path paralleling said blade to vary the width of said carpet receiving slot; and

(e) means for securing said movable portion of said plate structure to said remainder thereof.

7. In a cutter for loop pile carpet, the combination of t (a) a supporting plate structure provided with a oor engaging base and having therein a forwardly-facing carpet receiving slot above and paralleling said floor engaging base;

(b) two downwardly and rearwardly inclined blades carried by said plate structure in side-byside relation and selectively slidable along downwardly and rearwardly inclined paths from retracted positions into extended positions spanning the rear end of said carpet receiving slot;

(c) said iblades having parallel lower cutting edges spaced apart in the direction of the thickness of said plate structure; and

(d) means for securing said blades in said extended and retracted positions, respectively, or both in said retracted positions.

8. A cutter according to claim 7 wherein:

(a) the spacing of the outer surfaces of said blades is substantially equal to the spacing of the sides of said supporting plate structure at the rear end of said carpet receiving slot; and

(b) said supporting plate structure is provided at the rear end of said carpet receiving slot with forwardly convergent bevels against which the rear ends of the respective blades lie flat when in their respective extended positions, whereby the outer surfaces of said blades are respectively substantially flush with the sides of said supporting plate structure rearwardly thereof when said blades are in their respective extended positions.

9. A cutter as set forth in claim 8 including means on said floor engaging base for holding the rear end of each blade flat against its bevel when it is in its extended position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,238,678 4/1941 Cook 30-294 2,603,866 7/1952. Rice 30-294 OTHER REFERENCES GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, I r., Primary Examiner US. Cl'. X.R. 

